, Nov 16, 2005 / 12:00 am (CNA).- During a interview on Austrian television last Sunday, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn said the "tendency towards secularization should be considered an unalterable natural law."

According to the Austrian news agency Orf.at, the cardinal emphasized that "it should not be necessarily assumed that a secularized society should be an inevitably irreligious society." He said there were signs of a "contrary tendency" toward religion in society, but that it is yet to be determined if such signs truly point to a new "summer" of the faith.

"Christians," the cardinal continued, "could constitute a ‘creative minority’ with the potential to change society. Christians should not act timidly or aggressively, but rather as a minority that contributes with creativity.”

Asked about Islam, Cardinal Schonbörn said many Muslims consider Christianity to be “decadent and without a future,” which should constitute a challenge for Christians.

During his participation in a debate last Wednesday during the Great Conference on Islam in Vienna, the cardinal expressed regret that the heads of state of the European Union have not addressed in issue of religious in freedom in discussions surrounding the possible entry of Turkey in the EU.